Christmas at the Masaki's
by lighthawkdemon1
Summary: One of the craziest houses on earth goes through the most wonderful time of the year!


Tenchi Muyo!  
  
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Disclaimer: This episode of Tenchi Muyo! is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved.  
  
Note 1: This episode takes place shortly after the events of Tenchi Muyo! Special Episode: Here Comes Jurai, Part Two.  
  
Note 2: This story is a side story from my Of Happiness and Sorrow story line. This takes place after Tenchi has opened himself to the girl's advances, but before he has chosen, making him open game for all of them!  
  
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Of Happiness and Sorrow  
  
Special Episode:  
  
Christmas at the Masaki's  
  
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December 23: Tenchi Masaki is walking down the shrine steps towards his house after a vigorous training session with his grandfather. He takes his towel off of his shoulder and wipes his brow. The prince looks up into the cloudy sky, just in time to see the snow begin to fall. He smiles as he watches the first flake float in front of him and land softly on his nose. "It's about time!" he says out loud. "I was beginning to worry that no snow would come with Christmas only a couple of days away!"  
  
______  
  
Meanwhile in the Masaki house, everyone is up to their usual business, albeit the air of anticipation surrounding everyone. All of the women are anxiously waiting for Christmas morning, most for the same reasons. The day before, all the girls went to town and did all of their Christmas shopping. They came back many hours later with their wallets weighing considerably less, but happy all the same. Some of the girls also got a "special" gift for Tenchi, hoping that he would like the gift enough to get a Christmas kiss from him...possibly more.  
  
All of the girls, except for Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, are in the living room, watching their daily soaps. They currently are so involved in them that the world all around them could be ending and they wouldn't pay it a second's notice. Sasami comes out of the kitchen to check up on everybody when she takes a quick glance outside and sees the snow falling. "Wow!" she exclaims, her eyes shining bright, "It's snowing!"  
  
Since a commercial just started, the girls divert their attention to the window, where a soft snowfall is clearly seen. They all smile warmly. "This is perfect," Ayeka starts. "I was hoping that we would have a white Christmas, and it appears that we will!"  
  
Sasami giggles at them. "Alright, I'm going to go out, who's coming with me?"  
  
Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki are quick to her side and the trio runs to the front door. They open it just as Tenchi is walking up. "Oh hi girls!" he starts, a large smile forming on his face. "Are you three going outside?"  
  
The three of them suddenly erupt into giggles and blush furiously. Tenchi scratches the back of his head, obviously confused. "What's wrong?"  
  
All three of them look up above the door. Tenchi's gaze follows, where he sees mistletoe hanging just above the doorframe. "Aha," he replies as he looks back at the girls. He gives them a goofy grin then leans in and gives each a quick kiss on the lips.  
  
All three young ladies go even redder and run outside, giggling out of control. Tenchi laughs as he watches them leave. He turns around, only to see a pair of beautiful, golden feline eyes. Ryoko quickly wraps her arms around Tenchi's neck. "Tenchi," she purrs lustfully at him, "we are under the mistletoe together, so how about a kiss?"  
  
"Ryoko!" Kiyone shouts from the living room. "The show's back on!"  
  
"Damn!" the pirate curses while snapping her fingers. She looks back to Tenchi. "You owe me a kiss now okay?" She winks at him and then teleports into the living room.  
  
Tenchi shakes his head lightly as he makes his way up the stairs to his room. "Everybody has been in such good spirits lately! I almost wish that the holidays would never end!"  
  
______  
  
After the show ended, Ayeka goes up into her room and locks the door. 'After Sasami is finished playing outside,' she thinks to herself, 'she will most likely go straight into the kitchen to make dinner so hopefully no one will disturb me.'  
  
The princess makes her way to the closet and moves several extra sets of sheets and blankets away to find what she is looking for. A strange smile escapes her lips as she pulls out the small white box.  
  
She opens it and reaches inside, pulling out a garment. Ayeka walks to the large mirror on the wall with the garment in front of her. She twists from side to side, examining herself. "This is a lot more revealing than I would normally ever have the common decency to wear, but this is for Lord Tenchi's real Christmas gift, so it is for a good cause!" A very Ryoko-ish smile spreads on her face. "With him being more open and expressive lately, there is no way he will be able to resist me!"  
  
Unbeknownst to her, two others are thinking the exact same thing in their own rooms.  
  
______  
  
Dinner goes along nicely. Nobuyuki surprises all the girls by getting all of them Santa hats so now they are all wearing them and chatting happily around the dinner table. Sasami, who is already in a very anxious and excited state with Christmas being only two days away, is now in a state of pure joy with her new Santa hat. "Thank you so much Mr. Masaki! I love this hat!"  
  
She gets off of her seat and gives him a small kiss on the cheek. He just chuckles at the small princess. "Ah think nothing of it! I was just driving through town on my way home and saw them at a store and knew that you girls would love them. Besides, you all look very nice in them!"  
  
"Here here!" Tenchi and Yosho shout while raising their cups on the air. The girls all blush deeply at the combined words of all three Masaki men, who are now laughing at all the women around them.  
  
"Too easy," Yosho mutters while taking a sip of his tea. He suddenly spits it out when someone slaps him in the back of his head.  
  
"Wadaya mean 'too easy'?" Washu exclaims behind him.  
  
"Nothing!" the former prince quickly replies, giving her a goofy grin.  
  
The genius raises an eyebrow at him. "Nothing huh?" Her face is now dangerously close to his. The Shinto priest gulps. "Getting a little nervous are you?"  
  
"Uh...no!" He lies.  
  
She suddenly grabs him and begins to drag him out of the house. "It seems that you are a little lax on your manners towards women. You need some lessons and I happen to be the perfect teacher!"  
  
"Help!" Yosho pleads to his family.  
  
"Sorry Brother," Ayeka starts, "it is for your own good."  
  
"Yeah grandpa," Tenchi adds, "and this is your battle, not ours!"  
  
The table erupts with laughter as Washu drags Yosho out of the house and slams the door shut. "Never a dull moment," Kiyone mutters while taking a drink from her tea.  
  
"Hey, I just thought of something," Ryoko exclaims, looking towards the two GP officers, "are you guys gonna be working on Christmas?"  
  
"No way!" Mihoshi practically yells. "Right Kiyone?"  
  
"Yeah, we made sure to request some vacation time and we got it. Now we have the entire week off to enjoy the holidays!"  
  
The blonde GP officer smiles happily while taking a bite of her food. "We actually almost forgot to but while we were on patrol I was thinking out loud about what kinds of presents we'd buy for the others and what kinds we would be getting and then Kiyone remembered that we had to request that week off and she did and now we don't have to work!"  
  
It takes a couple of seconds for everyone to register everything that Mihoshi just said. "That's great!" Sasami squeals, finally catching up.  
  
"Yeah," Tenchi adds, "I'd sure hate it if the two of you had to work."  
  
Kiyone smiles and takes another drink from her tea. 'But what I'd really hate,' she thinks deviously to herself, 'is the thought that I wouldn't be able to give you my personal Christmas gift! I promise you this Tenchi, I'm going to make you wish that Christmas night will never end!'  
  
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December 24: Tenchi wakes up to the usual smells of Sasami's delicious cooking. He hears a strange sound and sits up very quickly, colliding head- to-head with a sleeping Ryoko. The prince falls back onto his bed, grasping his forehead, while Ryoko flies up a few feet, doing the same.  
  
"Ryoko!" he starts, his eyes unfocused, "what are you doing?"  
  
The pirate shakes her head lightly to try to refocus her own eyes. She notices that it is Tenchi who is talking to her and she blushes lightly. "Oh Tenchi! I...I couldn't sleep too well last night so I came in your room to watch you sleep. You...you look so peaceful and calm when you sleep, it helps me to sleep too."  
  
Now it is Tenchi's turn to start blushing. "You know," he begins, an unusual smile now appearing on his face, "you could've just come down in my bed and slept in it with me. I wouldn't have minded the company."  
  
Ryoko's eyes widen and her blush deepens as the prince chuckles at her. "You know, breakfast should be ready soon so I'll meet you down there okay?" she replies very hurriedly as she teleports out of his room.  
  
Tenchi shakes his head as he watches the space pirate leave. "Grandpa was right, that is too easy!" His eyes go wide and he quickly takes a look around his room. He sighs in relief. "Good, no girls around to get on my case! I hope that Washu didn't get on grandpa too hard!"  
  
______  
  
"So Yosho," Washu begins, her finger tracing circles on the former prince's bare chest, "will you now be a little more respectful towards women?"  
  
"Now Washu, you know that I am always respectful to everyone around me, even my enemies. What is wrong with having a little fun?"  
  
"A little fun at my expense?" The genius says more as a statement then a question, her green eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
The priest's eyes go wide. "I just said 'too easy'! Why are you taking this so personal?"  
  
"I'm not. I just enjoy making you squirm!" she cackles at him.  
  
"I can tell that there is more," he replies, looking at the genius in his arms.  
  
"Well," she starts, a lustful look in her eyes, "I needed a good reason to get you out of the house and back up here at the shrine!"  
  
Yosho sighs deeply. "I swear, Tenchi has it easy. You are worse than Ryoko!"  
  
"Yeah, but that's what you love about me," she responds just before kissing him on his neck, causing him to shiver lightly.  
  
"You are a bad influence on me, you know that?"  
  
"I don't think you'd like me any other way Yosho dear."  
  
He shrugs his shoulders. "I guess not."  
  
"Hey!" she shouts while jumping out of his arms, "what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
The priest slaps himself on his forehead. "Ugh, I should just keep my big mouth shut!"  
  
______  
  
After going into the bathroom and washing up a bit, Tenchi goes downstairs. The sight that greets him is everybody, minus Yosho, Washu, Sasami and Ryo- Ohki sitting around the table, eating from the few dishes that are out. Tenchi notices that all of the girls are still wearing their Santa hats.  
  
Ayeka sees him and smiles warmly at him. "Good morning Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Good morning Ayeka," he replies.  
  
Everyone else around the table turns to greet him, except for Ryoko, who glances very quickly up at him and begins to blush. Tenchi smiles at the pirate, remembering earlier. He sits down at his usual spot just as Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, both wearing their Santa hats also, come out of the kitchen holding a large tray of the rest of breakfast.  
  
"Ah, good morning Sasami! Good morning Ryo-Ohki!" the prince happily says.  
  
"Good morning Tenchi!" the young princess and cabbit girl beam at him.  
  
Breakfast goes along nicely. Washu and Yosho are no-shows, so there are some leftovers. All of the girls, who have never celebrated Christmas before, keep on casting excited glances towards the tree and the large bundle or gifts underneath. Three people in particular are doing stomach turns, thinking of their plans for Tenchi the next day.  
  
After breakfast, the family does their usual parting. The girls all go and sit down on the couch to watch their daily soap operas, each going into a type of trance as the shows begin. Ayeka has recently allowed Sasami watch the 'juicy' parts so she has taken some time out of the kitchen to watch them as well.  
  
The little princess plops down next to Ryoko, who ruffles her hair and smiles warmly at her. "So kiddo, you excited about Christmas tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah," she giggles. "I wonder though how Santa goes down those chimneys and how his reindeer fly. Is he from another planet too?" she finishes while looking at the group around her.  
  
All the women, except for Mihoshi, get knowing smiles on their faces. "You know," the blonde begins, "I was wondering the same thing. I had Yukinojo looking for stuff about him but he couldn't find anything really good so I was thinking that he's probably really smart like Washu and can hide a lot of stuff about him." She looks around at everyone, looking excited. "Do you think that Sasami might be right? Can he be from another planet?"  
  
"Maybe," Ryoko answers with a shrug. "I mean, he has been around for a very long time, and there are no other reindeer that can fly on earth."  
  
"Wow!" both Sasami and Mihoshi exclaims with wide eyes.  
  
______  
  
Meanwhile, Tenchi is in his room, putting the finishing touches on his over the holiday's homework. He finishes his last sentence and leans back on his chair, smiling contentedly to himself. "I finished a lot quicker than I expected! Now I have a lot more free time to myself!"  
  
With that thought, the prince gets up off of his seat and walks up to his closet. He slides it open, revealing a small stack of presents within. On top of the stack of large gifts, almost all of which are addressed to Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, lay seven small boxes, each with one of the girls' names on it. He picks up one of the boxes and examines it closely. "I hope that they all enjoy these. I put a lot of thought into these. And money," he adds with a small frown.  
  
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Later into the evening, everybody is enjoying Christmas Eve dinner. Nobuyuki went into town earlier before the stores closed to buy some eggnog saké, which Ryoko is enjoying a great deal of, though Yosho, Nobuyuki and Mihoshi are having their fair share as well.  
  
"Mmm..." Ryoko starts after another sip. "This stuff doesn't pack as big as a punch as regular saké, but at least it tastes a lot better!"  
  
Everyone around the table has a good laugh. Sasami and Ryo-Ohki are literally shaking with anticipation, Christmas is only several hours away and they can't wait to open their presents. Mihoshi would be just as excited too, but she is just a little too drunk on the eggnog saké to think much about it.  
  
Tenchi watches the two with a smile, remembering the days when he used to be the same way. Tenchi suddenly stands up, getting everyone's attention. "The holidays were always very special to me, but now with all of you here, they carry a much deeper meaning. I just want to tell you all that I couldn't be happier with the way my life has turned out. You girls are not just friends to me, you are family. And I couldn't think of a better group of people that I'd want to spend the holidays with." He stops for a moment to pick up his cup. "To you girls."  
  
Yosho and Nobuyuki raise their cups in unison and take a small sip with Tenchi. The ladies, however, are stunned speechless, though tears are forming in each of their eyes.  
  
"Oh Lord Tenchi," Ayeka weakly mutters, "that was so beautiful."  
  
She stands up and embraces him lovingly. The rest of the girls soon follow, making a giant group hug. Nobuyuki is starting to stand up so he can join, but he catches a stern look from Yosho and sits back down, looking longingly at his son with the large group of very attractive interstellar woman hugging him.  
  
Dinner is soon over and the family cleans up the table and dishes. They are soon on the couch, watching classic Christmas movies on the television, a few of them American.  
  
In no time at all, Sasami, Ryo-Ohki and Mihoshi are passed out on the couch. Ayeka and Ryoko carry the two little ones into their rooms while Kiyone and Washu lug the GP officer's ditzy partner into hers.  
  
An hour later, Tenchi goes up to check on the girls upstairs sleeping. He comes back down and nods to everyone. They all get up and go to their perspective rooms to get the rest of the gifts.  
  
Soon, everyone is done and look at the tree happily. "Well, I guess its time that we all go down too," Tenchi starts. "Goodnight everyone."  
  
Everybody says their goodnights and go to their perspective rooms, each hoping that everyone enjoys their gifts.  
  
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December 25: Tenchi wakes up early the next morning to the sound of someone giggling at him. He slowly opens his eyes to see a pair of golden feline eyes looking intently at him. He smiles lightly and sits up. "Good Morning Ryoko. Merry Christmas."  
  
"Merry Christmas Tenchi," the pirate replies in a playful tone.  
  
Tenchi notices that Ryoko is hovering over him and she is wearing a robe. He cocks an eyebrow at her. 'What's with the robe?' he thinks to himself. He looks out his window, only to discover that it is snowing, but is still dark out. He quickly glances at his bedside clock and sees that it is only five-thirty in the morning.  
  
"Ryoko," he moans, covering his face with his hands and lying back on his bed, "why did you wake me up so early?"  
  
She giggles mischievously at him and lands next to his bed. She reaches into her robe and pulls out a small black box and places it next to his door and presses a switch.  
  
The prince looks confusedly at the box. "What's that?"  
  
"Something I found in Washu's lab that I knew I could use today."  
  
"Okay, so please tell me why you are in my room, waking me up this early. We don't start on the presents until everybody is awake."  
  
She grins widely at him as she grabs her robe and opens it. Tenchi's eyes nearly bulge out of his head and he quickly covers his nose to stop the onslaught of blood from pouring out. Ryoko is wearing something that looks like it is out of one of his Dad's few lingerie catalogs. She has on a very skimpy black and red teddy with matching high heels. She walks up to him with a seductive smile. "This Tenchi," she gestures the outfit she is wearing, "is your special Christmas gift."  
  
The pirate leans over and kisses him passionately. It takes a few moments for Tenchi's mind to register everything that is now happening, but when it does, he starts to kiss back. She is soon on top of him, the passion between them increasing with each passing second, while the prince thinks to himself, 'This is not what I planned on waking up to...though I really don't mind!'  
  
The small black box next to Tenchi's door, which is an exceptionally good sound blocker, works magnificently for the prince as he "unwraps" his early Christmas gift.  
  
______  
  
Later, at around eight, almost everyone is in the living room, waiting for the rest of the family to come down. Ryoko fazes down, looking strangely happy. She rushes down to Washu and gives her a large hug. "Thanks Mom," she mutters into her ear.  
  
Washu pushes her daughter back a bit. "What for?"  
  
"Oh nothing," the pirate replies airily, looking everywhere except into her mother's eyes.  
  
Just at that moment, Tenchi comes down. His hair is all messed up and he has a glazed look in his eyes. He quickly shakes himself to and smiles at his family. "Merry Christmas everybody!"  
  
"Merry Christmas!" they shout back.  
  
The girls are, once again, wearing their Santa hats. Sasami and Ryo-Ohki are kneeling in front of the tree, literally bouncing with anticipation. "So, can we start yet?" the young princess asks.  
  
"Yeah, can we?" chimes in the cabbit girl.  
  
Yosho chuckles lightly. "Of course girls."  
  
"Yay!" they both shout and dig into the gifts under the tree, tossing everybody their perspective gifts.  
  
Soon all the gifts are handed out and everyone starts to dig in. Wrapping paper litters the floor as the gifts begin to unfold.  
  
Sasami squeals in delight when she opens a large box, revealing a fairly big cabbit Ryo-Ohki stuffed animal. "Oh thank you Tenchi!" she shouts while hugging it tightly.  
  
"I thought you would like that," he responds with a large smile.  
  
"Ah, wonderful gifts!" Yosho exclaims as he opens a pair of twin boxes from Tenchi and Nobuyuki, which contain a new set of priest's robes and training gi.  
  
"Tenchi and I saw those and we thought that they'd be perfect for you," Nobuyuki replies.  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka smile as they watch Mihoshi unwrap her gift from them, an extremely Mihoshi-proof organizer, made specifically by Washu. "Wow!" the blonde exclaims, hugging the organizer tightly. "Thank you Ryoko and Ayeka!"  
  
"It was nothing," the princess responds.  
  
"Yeah," Ryoko adds. "We thought you could use one so you could write stuff down so when you forget anything."  
  
The GP frowns slightly. "Hey! I don't forget anything..." she pauses to look around at her friends. "Do I?"  
  
The entire group face faults onto the floor.  
  
______  
  
As the morning passes, everyone finishes opening up their gifts. The girls mainly get clothes, not that that bothers them any. Nobuyuki and Yosho surprised the girls by getting them all reservations for a full treatment at a local health spa, which is famous for its many relaxing and comforting machines, rooms, and specially trained personnel.  
  
Yosho gives Tenchi an old samurai sword, which used to belong to his mother, Funaho, during her early years as a highly trained and deadly ninja. He takes it out of its hilt and admires the handsome shiny blade. "Wow, thanks grandpa!" Tenchi says in a hushed voice.  
  
Washu gives Ryoko her own holo laptop. "It could be useful in a pinch," the genius says with a wink. She also gives Nobuyuki a very surprising gift: a credit card that never runs out of credit and he never has to pay. "It's the least I could do since we have cost you a lot of money to stay here."  
  
Nobuyuki just stares at the card with a mixture of shock and gratitude on his face. "T...Thank you Washu," he stammers out.  
  
Tenchi suddenly stands up and runs up to his room. Everyone looks up, confused. He comes back down several small boxes that he hands to each girl. They open them to reveal small velvet covered boxes.  
  
They open them to reveal a pair of beautiful earrings, each with a different color gem for each of the girls: red for Ryoko, purple for Ayeka, green for Kiyone, yellow for Mihoshi, light blue for Sasami, pale red for Washu and white for Ryo-Ohki. "So, what do you think?" he asks nervously.  
  
All the girls are once again speechless. "T...they're beautiful Tenchi," Kiyone stammers out. "Thank you very much."  
  
For the second time in two days, Tenchi is crowded by all the girls, who are hugging him lovingly.  
  
Nobuyuki sighs with longing. "My son gets all the luck."  
  
"Yes," Yosho responds.  
  
Nobuyuki gives the priest an exasperated look. "What do you mean 'yes'? You have one of them all to yourself!"  
  
Yosho smiles happily at his son-in-law. "Yes, that is true."  
  
Everyone pulls away from the hug and Tenchi kneels in front of Sasami and Ryo-Ohki. "Now I know that you two don't have your ears pierced, but we could go into town in a day or two and get them..." he pauses as he looks over at Ayeka, "that is if your sister says that you can Sasami."  
  
The little princess looks at her sister with pleading eyes. Ayeka sighs deeply, but is still smiling. "I guess you can Sasami. Besides, you should wear them, they will look so lovely on you!"  
  
"Oh thank you Ayeka!" Sasami squeals as she embraces her older sister.  
  
Soon everybody is around the table, happily eating breakfast and chatting about their gifts.  
  
After breakfast, or lunch since it is nearly noon, is over, Washu takes a quick look outside. "You know," she starts, "it's been snowing all night. How about we all go outside and enjoy it a bit!"  
  
"Yeah," Sasami adds in, "we can make snowmen!"  
  
"Or have a snow fight!" Ryoko chimes in, looking directly towards Ayeka.  
  
"Come on, let's go!" Mihoshi yells as she grabs Kiyone's arm and pulls her outside.  
  
Tenchi is about to follow, when someone gently stops him. "Lord Tenchi," Ayeka starts, "could I have a word with you in private?"  
  
The prince scratches the back of his head. He looks back to the rest of the group, who now are already in coats and scarves and on their way out the door. Tenchi shrugs his shoulders. "Okay, I guess so."  
  
"Thank you Lord Tenchi." She sighs deeply, looking very nervous. "Come, let us talk in your room."  
  
'My room?' he thinks as his eyes start to go wide. "Um...sure Ayeka."  
  
The princess leads the way up to his room. She moves aside when she enters to allow him to do so. When he goes in, she slides his door shut and locks it. "I just want some privacy," she says to him as he gives her a confused look. "Go on now, sit down."  
  
Tenchi obliges and sits on his bed. Ayeka takes a deep breath and begins to speak. "Lord Tenchi, I would like to first thank you for the lovely earrings," she stops for a moment to turn her head side to side, showing that she has them on. Tenchi smiles. She returns the smile and continues, "I wish to thank you for the kind gift and for all the warmth and hospitality you have shown me all of this time that I have spent in your house."  
  
"Ayeka, you don't have to thank me, really!" Tenchi replies exasperatedly to her.  
  
The princess holds up a hand to silence him. "I am not thanking you with just kind words this time," she starts, an odd smile on her face, "I am also giving you the rest of your Christmas gift." She unwraps the obi around her waist and pulls open her kimono.  
  
Tenchi's eyes bulge out for the second time this day. Ayeka is wearing an outfit that is very similar to what Ryoko was wearing earlier, except it isn't as skimpy and it is all white. She smiles seductively at the prince and walks up to him. She grabs his hands and pulls him up so they are face to face. "I have wanted to do something like this for some time now, I have just been working up the nerve and waiting for the prefect opportunity." She suddenly leans over and begins to kiss him, lightly first, then with more passion.  
  
Before Tenchi knows what is happening, his is lying on his bad with Ayeka on top of him, kissing him with more and more passion. 'Boy this is really is the best time of the year!' he thinks happily to himself.  
  
______  
  
Some time later, Tenchi and Ayeka make their way outside, both smiling warmly at each other. An amusing sight meets their eyes. Sasami and Ryo- Ohki are busy building an enormous snowman, with a little help from the guardians Azaka and Kamidake. The rest of the gang is having a furious snowball fight. Washu has gone beyond just simply playing and has constructed an army bunker and has on full white camouflage.  
  
Tenchi takes a few steps forward when he is suddenly hit in the back of the head by a snowball. He turns around to see Ayeka giggling at him. He wipes the snow off of his head then gets a very devious smile on his face while reaching down to pick up some snow.  
  
The princess notices this and takes a few steps back while holding up her hands. "Now Tenchi," she starts exasperatedly, "there is no need to strike me with a snowball. I was just being playful."  
  
He is just about to throw it, when he stops, looking surprised. He smiles and drops the snowball onto the ground.  
  
Ayeka sighs with relief. "Oh thank you Lor..." she stops when he points up. She looks up just in time to see a huge mound of snow fall onto her.  
  
Tenchi falls to the ground, laughing like mad. Ryoko, who is several feet above the mound of snow that is currently holding the princess Ayeka, is laughing as well, doing a couple of flips in the air.  
  
A large tuft of violet hair emerges from the mound, followed by the rest of the princess, who is shivering lightly. "Ryoko!" she hisses, "I should have guessed!" She reaches down and picks up her Santa hat, which fell off of her in the downfall. She smiles evilly as she also grabs a handful of snow and makes a snowball and tosses it at Ryoko, who easily dodges it.  
  
"Ha! You're gonna have to do a lot better than that to hit m..." her speech is cut short when a snowball hits her square on the forehead, causing her to do a back flip in midair. She regains herself and sees Tenchi grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, you wanna play rough huh?"  
  
The three are soon in an intense snowball fight. The rest of the family soon joins and they all spend a great afternoon out in the snow.  
  
______  
  
It is starting to get dark and the family decides that they have had enough fun for today. Sasami and Ryo-Ohki quickly run into their rooms and change into some dry clothes and then go back downstairs and into the kitchen to make Christmas dinner.  
  
Everyone else goes into their rooms to change as well. Soon they are all downstairs sitting around the couch, happily chatting about the day's events.  
  
Nearly an hour later, a spectacular and dazzling dinner is served. Everybody manages to say their usual kind comments about the little princess' cooking, while she blushes furiously throughout the entire meal.  
  
After dinner, the table is cleaned and the gang goes back onto the couch to watch some quality programming on the television. Within half an hour, Sasami is passed out leaning into Tenchi and clutching her giant Ryo-Ohki stuffed animal. The prince carries her up to her room and places her in her bad.  
  
When he comes back downstairs, he discovers that nearly everyone else has already gone up to bed. "Well it has been a very exciting day," he mutters to himself. His mind suddenly flashes to the time he spent with Ryoko and Ayeka today. He shakes his head lightly. "I have no idea what's gotten into those two. I guess it's just the holidays that's gotten them to act this way," he adds with a small chuckle.  
  
Tenchi says his goodnights to everyone who is still down stairs and goes into his room. The sight that greets his eyes is Kiyone sprawled out on his bed. She has taken a page out of Ryoko and Ayeka's book and is also wearing a very sexy piece of lingerie. This one is dark green, almost matching the color of the GP's amazing hair. "Merry Christmas Tenchi," she says with a suggestive wink, her new green earrings glistening in the moonlight that is coming through his skylight window.  
  
The prince shakes his head while he closes and locks his door. 'Yes, it's just the holidays that's doing all of this,' he thinks with a smile as he advances towards his bed.  
  
The End.  
  
______  
  
Author's notes: Ah, Christmas time, is there anything better? When you're a kid, certainly nothing beats it. I am terribly sorry for my lack of updates on my other chapters. First my computer completely crapped out on me and then when I got it all fixed and ready, My sister and niece came over from California for the holidays, staying a month and a half in my room no less. This makes writing difficult with the baby sleeping a lot and stuff. I do not know if I will be able to make any more posts anytime before Christmas but I will try. I'd like to thank all of you who have patiently waited for me to update my stories and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! - lighthawkdemon  
  
Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com 


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